Analysts expect M&A frenzy to continue with deals by Pfizer, AbbVie, Valeant likely in 2015

Pharma M&A in 2014 hit a record-breaking $234 billion in announced acquisitions. Actavis led the pack with its $66 billion bid for Botox maker Allergan and $25 billion buyout of Forest Laboratories. But investors and analysts say 2015 could generate as many or more deals, with Pfizer, Valeant Pharmaceuticals, AbbVie and Shire expected to be in the mix.

"2014 was clearly the year of the big deal," Rich Jeanneret, vice chair of EY's transaction advisory services, told Bloomberg. "I think that's going to persist in 2015 because there's much more confidence in the M&A ecosystem."

There also is cheap capital and the need to grow, and for the big boys, "the only real place they can find growth is through acquisition," Jeff Stute of JPMorgan Chase & Co. told the news service.

The 11 biggest drug launches to watch in 2015

BioPharma Dive | By Sy Mukherjee

This past year was a milestone one in the United States for new drugs, with novel therapeutics such as Gilead's pricey hep C cures Sovaldi and Harvoni coming to market (as well as a record 15 approvals for drugs to treat rare diseases), and huge sales of newer drugs like Roche's breast cancer med Kadcyla and Biogen Idec's MS blockbuster Tecfidera.

But according to a new report by EvaluatePharma (gated), 2015 could be equally impressive in terms of drug launches as innovative candidates in massive medical markets and exciting new drug classes in cancer immuno-therapy work their way towards approval. 

"The value of 2015 launches will be helped along by penetration into massive yet already well-trodden sectors like cardiovascular and respiratory disease, along with diabetes and schizophrenia," wrote the authors. "Drugs treating high cholesterol and heart failure are set to dominate the year's new products, with combine 2020 sales forecast at $8bn."